Fossil fuel dependence as a threat to American freedom

Fossil Fuels

Mismanaging Fossil Fuels Can Cost You Your Freedom

The direction the United States chooses to go with its energy policy will most certainly dictate the freedoms of this and future generations. Energy policy will also dictate if the nation can stay independent and free into the future. Never before has America's dependence on fossil fuel been such a strategic liability (Migone, 2007). In conjunction with the threat of losing the freedom and independence that is the essence of what makes this country great, the lack of prioritization for other fuels is crippling our environment as well. The intent of this analysis is to explain how increased fossil fuel consumption poses a very real and urgent threat to the personal, national and international freedoms of the U.S. And western nations and what needs to be done to mitigate these risks while making a more positive contribution to the environment.

Ending The Nation's Dependence on Fossil Fuels

There are many options available for reducing the nation's dependence on fossil fuels. From the use of biofuel subsidies to foster research & development (R&D) of new fuel forms and technologies to use them (Ngo, 2008) to more effective energy policies that use natural gas, the U.S.' greatest natural resource (Bang, 2010), options abound. What is needed is a concerted, focused energy policy that concentrates on national security while lessening the impact of these fuels on the environment (Migone, 2007). Only by taking this course of action, can the U.S. And other westernized nation so dependent on fossil fuels break their dependence on them. In addition to all these approaches, there needs to be much more aggressive R&D and tax credits given to companies to create clean-burning fuel technologies at costs that are affordable. The development of entirely new approaches to managing existing energy sources within the U.S., from hydrogen and natural gas to clean-burning coal, all need much greater focus. The investments of the U.S. government in these areas would ensure the freedom of this and future generations, seriously slowing down the fossil fuel-based cartels from influencing financial markets (Jawadi, Arouri, Bellalah, 2010) and lead to greater political stability globally.